


Falling Into Place

by thatchedrooftavern



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Archivist!Melanie AU, F/F, Gen, Hungarian Food As A Love Language, Let Melanie Have A Knife 2021, Yes you read that right, exam week is over but still, let me have this, slow burn wtgfs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:28:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28704420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatchedrooftavern/pseuds/thatchedrooftavern
Summary: Jonathan Sims has been arrested for the murders of Gertrude Robinson and Jurgen Leitner, and Elias needs a new Archivist.AKA: Archivist!Melanie AU
Relationships: Georgie Barker/Melanie King
Comments: 7
Kudos: 10





	Falling Into Place

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, fellow What The Cultists, this came into my brain, as so many thoughts so often do, and wouldn’t go away, so now I have another multi-chapter fic going. Your feedback is welcome and might give me Inspiration as I sludge my way through exam week.  
> This will be a long fic, length TBD as I am still outlining, but also inconsistent updates as I am an inconsistent human. I will aim for every other week or so.  
> Also, I apologize in advance for the repeated appearances of the King Voyeurism Rat; he is a necessary evil.

Elias Bouchard, head of the Magnus Institute, had avoided a jail sentence.

Hooray. 

Being arrested for two murders would have put a serious damper on his plans, especially if his Archivist has been the one investigating those murders. It also would have been a rather unfortunate time to end up in prison, the current state of his and Peter’s relationship being as bad it was, so this is all rather fortunate, he supposed. 

But what about the Archivist?

With Jon in prison taking the fall, Elias was already feeling the Eye’s displeasure with not having a working Archivist and he was hard-pressed to find a replacement. Choosing any old candidate would set the Watcher’s Crown back quite a ways. Jon had been perfect, he came pre-marked! In his plans, Elias had always seen the Web as a challenging mark, up there alongside the End, and having a pre-marked Archivist had meant that his ritual could finally be completed. 

Not wanting to further lament his loss, Elias cast his Gaze down to the archives. One of the assistants would do until he found a proper replacement. 

Martin would never do. For one, he was at the moment occupying himself by silently crying into a mug of tea. Losing two of his closest friends in such a short period of time drained him too much. He would cling to whatever snippets of stability he had left until he wilted away into nothing. Too lonely was Elias’s final ruling. He made a mental note to call Peter about him. It could be what fixed their situation, just in case Elias faced another prison scare. 

Looking towards the Unknowing, Tim seemed rather promising. His quest for revenge would send him into the fray, his fresh, uneducated meat an easy target for other avatars. However, Tim’s vengeance was single-minded. His primary goal was to destroy the circus and once he does that, he will lose all motivation, or possibly even die trying. Too vengeful. 

Speaking of vengeful, Elias felt a presence enter the library that was somewhat familiar but entirely welcome. He Looked down and saw a woman enter the Institute library, her blue-tipped hair falling from under a beanie. Melanie King greeted the employees and other library occupants warmly before going to the front desk and getting a book from the librarian, apparently saved for her since her last visit. 

It was as she walked away that Elias noticed: she was limping. Barely noticeable, but still there. It only took one Look at the injured leg for Elias to Know—she was marked by The Slaughter. Looking back, Elias couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed before. Her encounter with the occupants of the war train already constituted a mark and he believed the incident with Sarah Baldwin meant she was marked by the Stranger as well. 

Elias felt a smile creep across his face as the plans formed in his mind, feeling the Eye’s approval at his choice. This was not ideal, but it could work. 

3:17 pm Friday 

Melanie: hey, you know your ex-boyfriend from college? he just went to prison and now I’m being offered his job

Melanie: so….

Melanie: drinks?

Georgie is typing…..

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Feedback in the form of kudos and comments is highly appreciated and will earn you my eternal love and respect.  
> All the thanks to my excellent beta, Rose!


End file.
